Aussie council's $220k move after chaotic beach scenes anger locals
A city council has vowed to drastically ramp up efforts to contain crowds that flock to the beach to party on Christmas Day, after years of numbers swelling into the high thousands and numerous complaints from fed-up locals.
Bronte Park, at Bronte Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs, attracts several thousand revellers each year on Christmas Day, who flock to the popular seaside spot to celebrate in the sun. While the partygoers can hardly be blamed for wanting to enjoy such a pristine location, it's come at the ire of locals, who argue crowds become rowdy, leave behind mountains of rubbish, and prevent residents from enjoying their suburb.
In recent years, locals said numbers had swollen to their "worst ever" rates, with 2025's event also renewing concerns. Bronte residents said they're sick of being forced to pitch in to clean up the filthy waste annually, including broken glass and even vomit, which is routinely left behind by the throng — largely made up of travellers.
Now, after a string of complaints to Waverley Council, it has vowed to act. Speaking to Yahoo News, a council spokesman confirmed on Wednesday that it had decided on how best to manage revellers in 2025, following a meeting on Tuesday night.
At the meeting, four proposals were put forward. Option 1 was to take no action, with no additional services provided. Option 2 proposed keeping the same crowd and waste management systems as in 2024.
Option 3, which received the most community support, involved enhanced management, more cleaning, security, toilets, police presence, and a communications campaign to discourage attendance, costing around $220,000.
Option 4 suggested fencing off the entire park and beach for a fully ticketed, alcohol-free event, but this was deemed costly (minimum $360,000) and logistically risky, potentially pushing unruly partygoers to other beaches.
After significant community consultation, "councillors endorsed the recommendation outlined in the report — known as 'option 3'," the Waverley spokesperson said. This plan proposes a more robust and proactive strategy than what was implemented previously, with a strong emphasis on safety, cleanliness, and crowd control, without physically fencing the park or requiring ticketed entry.
🚮 Aussie councils warn crowds after 'disgusting' scenes
🧑🎄 'Disgusting' scenes as thousands hit famous Aussie beach for Christmas
🏝️ 'Worst ever': Outrage as iconic beach trashed
At a minimum cost of $220,000 to Council (including staff time), the scheme will provide expanded service provision across key areas. These include:
Increased cleaning and waste management to handle large volumes of rubbish.
Improved toilet facilities to meet heightened demand.
Enhanced security and a visible police presence to deter antisocial behaviour.
New or strengthened alcohol bans or checkpoints to curb public drinking.
A key feature of this option is a comprehensive public communications campaign to discourage attendance at Bronte on Christmas Day and to set clear expectations around acceptable behaviour. The plan also includes greater collaboration with rideshare operators, emergency services, and traffic control to manage congestion and safety risks in the surrounding area.
Enforcement will be tightened, with council rangers empowered to issue fines for littering or misuse of public space. Although this option does not attempt to fully prevent visitation, it is designed to mitigate negative impacts while maintaining public access and avoiding the significant financial and logistical challenges of a full park enclosure.
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